In the last update I provided our current information on opt out fees, with ours being the highest in North America. Attached is the costs for the program, as I find them in articles, etc. Again, BC is the highest. It is obvious that a major investigation into the managing of this program is called for. There is no oversight, so this government is allowing BC Hydro to spend our money needlessly, and charging us extortion fees that cannot possibly be justified. It’s time we all demanded that the Auditor General do a complete audit of the Smart meter program. My letter is below. Please, send one, too.

On January 29, 2015, the French National Assembly made history by passing a new national law to reduce exposures to wireless radiation electromagnetic fields.

Professor Annie Sasco, MD, DSc former Cancer Prevention Chief of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and a distinguished science adviser to Environmental Health Trust sends us her report about France’s new national law regulating electromagnetic field exposure.

Almost all of Saskatchewan’s Smart Meters have been removed, and the next type of meter is still being considered. They should be reviewing the designs of all available ones and they will conclude that the only safe meter is an analog.

Someone who fears that once Fortis BC installs a smart meter on his home, he won’t be able to afford food. His consumption seems astronomically high, yet Fortis is unwilling to investigate to find the reason. Like Hydro, just pay and shut up.

Attached is a letter that I just sent to the Auditor General and will be sending to every MLA. The evidence is clear that the citizens of BC are being gouged, in addition to being endangered in many ways.

Hopefully you will put your support behind this request for a full and complete audit of the program.

Attached are 2 documents containing costs pertaining to BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Program. One is a comparison of the cost on a per meter basis, $555 for BC Hydro, with other programs throughout the US and Canada. All costs are based on the same calculation: total cost divided by the number of meters exchanged. According to a recent article, the average for the US is $268.58, or less than half of what BC Hydro’s is costing us.

The second is a comparison of all known opt out fees for programs throughout US and Canada. BC Hydro’s monthly fees are $32.40 for those keeping their analog. This is by far the highest to be charged in North America, with the range being $0 – $21.53. The average monthly fee is $9.45.

BC Hydro is charging $20 a month for those electing to have the radiofrequency radiation-emitting transmitter disabled. This was second highest, with Portland, Oregon’s being higher. Portland has since ended its smart meter program due to fires and failures, leaving BC with the highest fees by far. The range of known fees for the non-transmitting meter is $0 – $10, with the average being $6.92. Fortis is charging $9 per month, resulting in a significant discrepancy between fees charged for the very same service by the 2 providers within the same province.

As you are aware, this program was implemented and has continued with no oversight by the BC Utilities Commission, and is being driven directly by the government. In both the Clean Energy Act and Directive 4, BCUC has been ordered not to review any aspect of the program, and, in fact, was given little flexibility in determining fees.

In 2008 the BCUC rejected Fortis BC’s application for the same smart meter program, saying the benefits do not justify the costs and that the technology was too new, thereby subject to problems and unforeseen costs. It seems possible that this rejection was the reason for the Clean Energy Act’s deliberate overruling of our regulatory body’s authority and oversight responsibility.

Why are we paying for more than anyone else for the program itself? Why are those who have concerns about the many problems experienced both here in BC and elsewhere, or have concerns about potential problems, made to pay exorbitant opt out fees that appear to be punitive and exorbitant? Why is no oversight being done?

We as taxpayers and customers of the only provider of electricity for the vast majority of British Columbians deserve a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the Smart Meter Program. I present this information to you for your consideration, and ask that you audit this program on behalf of the citizens of this province.